Park East Hotel Downtown Lakeshore

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] Regards, [redacted] One week prior to the event my husband & I went down to the hotel to discuss the food [redacted] met us in the lobbyMy husband asked if we could go somewhere to discuss the food and [redacted] said it would be ok to meet right there in the lobby We seemed to think that that was pretty unprofessional to discuss our event in an area where people were coming and going We would have liked to have meet in a less public areaWe NEVER tried the food before the partyMy husband asked if we could sample some of the food and nothing ever came of itWhat we had to go by for our menu selections was a written description of the itemsNo pictures just a brief description As mentioned previously several of the items were not as the description implied (Bread Bowl with Spinach & Artichoke dip, Whole Smoked Salmon Tray, Iced Shrimp platter, BBQ Meatballs, Cucumber Tea Sandwiches) Hot appetizers were not HOT, they were barely warmPresentation of the food was lackingIt seemed that some of the food was just thrown onto a platter and put outIt was if someone purchased bags of appetizers from a wholesale club & heated them upI guess for the price of the food I expected it to be a lot better quality [redacted] was indeed available throughout the eventShe was very attentive in clearing plates from the tablesFrom what I saw she was working hard I do recall her asking me how things were and at that time I said fine (not GREAT!) Because I was not happy about the food and bar not being ready for guests at 7:as requestedWhen my husband asked if the food was ready he was told YES but in reality it wasn't all ready to gYes, guests ate the foodThey came hungry expecting to have Hors d'oeuvresI am sure they did not complain about the food to [redacted] as they were being kind to me and did not want me to feel badHowever after the event several people did mention that they thought the food was not very goodSeveral guests offered to write letters about the food if needed to back me upOne guest said she put her napkin over the food because it just wasn't very good and she did not want to eat it!! I was EMBARRASSED by the quality of food served to my guests.As for me I hardly ate anythingI had one small plate and I too thought it not very appetizingI was busy visiting with my guestsThat is why I chose to have my event at a place where I could let someone else worry about the detailsI wanted to enjoy a nice time with friends and familySome of the details I was unaware of until talking with guests after the eventAs for the barWhy if several of the guests requested wine (which I would have thought to be a staple at any bar) would not the bartender have asked you to get some brought upOr have some pitchers for the beer brought upI would have thought that there would have been some communication between you twoThose are the kinds of details that should have been caught on your end and not left for me to handle.I first emailed [redacted] with my concerns the day after the event 6/7/and after not hearing back from her I sent a second email on 6/10/I finally received a reply back from her on 6/11/She stated that she had been in meetings and that it was the first time she was back in the office to check her emailsI replied to that email from her with more of my concernsI never received a reply to that email or more importantly I did nor receive a PHONE CALLI would have thought that someone in the customer service industry would have deemed a phone call the better option to communicate with an unhappy clientJust by the off chance I checked my Credit Card statement and noticed a $credit on it from the hotelThere was never any notification to me that she had refunded the moneyI would have thought that she would have discussed with me (preferably over the phone or in person) what I thought was a reasonable refund

All menu items that she ordered was served on the buffet with sauces and we always made sure that they never ran out and even tried the food before the party and thought everything was good I spoke with Mrs [redacted] numerous times during the event and asked if everything was ok and if they needed anything else, she said everything was great!! If I would have known she was not happy with something during the event I could have rectify the issue then Before the event in the planning she ordered the food and I answered any questions she may have If she wanted to know specific on how everything was prepared I could of explained to her in more details The Bartender did charge one of their guest for the free beer and I took care of that immediatelyBefore the event she did not mention needed pitchers of beer at the tables, we usually do not do this unless requested so of course we did not have the pitchers on hand at the timeI could have brought wine up to the bar if there was none but once again I was not informed of this while I was there for the entire eventShe also only paid for half the Ballroom I gave her the full Ballroom as a courtesy from us to herI worked really hard to make sure they had water all the time and talked with Terri and her guest to make sure everything was ok and I was told that everything was good so it was very surprising when I received this complaint Mrs [redacted] did e-mail me on a Sunday after the event in which I was not in the office and got back to her as soon as I got back in the office I did give her a refund for $ which I thought was fair I was worked hard and was there the entire event to make sure everything was good and everything seemed to be going great during the eventEveryone ate the food and drank the beer and when I asked the guest they all seemed fine and when they needed something and asked me I got it for them right awayI just want specify that I did speak with her during the event to make sure everything was ok, She stated that everything was good and when I took the plates of tables everyone did indeed eat the food that was given to them and they drank the beerI was there to make sure everything was good if something was wrong I should have been informed then so I can rectify the problem immediatelyI am very sorry that she was unhappy about her event!! I hope to solve this matter in a fair way! Thank you!!! [redacted] General ManagerPark East Hotel

We understand the concerns that [redacted] has but going back and forth will not solve anything, I have been doing this for over years and never had this problemI am very sorry that she felt the way she does about her event, Since it took a lot of money and effort to do this function and the guest did eat the food but she is still not pleased, I would be willing to give another credit of $ in which a total of $would be credit which included the credit of $I already gave which we The Park East Hotel feels is fair and we are trying to meet you half way for your issues Thank you!!! [redacted] Park East Hotel

The room cost was $for part of the ballroom in which I did state that we will have the entire Ballroom open for your meeting of only people, I had no idea about a fundraiserWe were still honoring giving her the Ballroom for the $and everything in the contractIn the contract
It stated that all food and beverage orders needed to be in weeks before and no outside food was alloweddays before the event she said she had her own caterer which we stated that it was not allowed and that we can not get the food in such short notice that is why in the contract it states weeks before so I said that we can not provide the food and she can no have a outside cater but we can still do the event and maybe they can go outside for food, she decided to cancel the event we did not pull outWe gave her a credit of the $that she paid forMr*** explained to me a luncheon and a meeting for people with no talking about having a fundraiserWe still would of done the event but just not foodEverything in the contract we were still going to do... Sincerely, *** ***General ManagerPark East Hotel

All menu items that she ordered was served on the buffet with sauces and we always made sure that they never ran out and even tried the food before the party and thought everything was good…. I spoke with Mrs. [redacted] numerous times during the event and asked if everything was ok and if they...

needed anything else, she said everything was great!! If I would have known she was not happy with something during the event I could have rectify the issue then..   Before the event in the planning she ordered the food and I answered any questions she may have… If she wanted to know specific on how everything was prepared I could of explained to her in more details.  The Bartender did charge one of their guest for the free beer and I took care of that immediately. Before the event she did not mention needed pitchers of beer at the tables, we usually do not do this unless requested so of course we did not have the pitchers on hand at the time.. I could have brought wine up to the bar if there was none but once again I was not informed of this while I was there for the entire event.. She also only paid for half the Ballroom I gave her the full Ballroom as a courtesy from us to her.. I worked really hard to make sure they had water all the time and talked with Terri and her guest to make sure everything was ok and I was told that everything was good so it was very surprising when I received this complaint…  Mrs. [redacted] did e-mail me on a Sunday after the event in which I was not in the office and got back to her as soon as I got back in the office…  I did give her a refund for $500.00  which I thought was fair… I was worked hard and was there the entire event to make sure everything was good and everything seemed to be going great during the event.. Everyone ate the food and drank the beer and when I asked the guest they all seemed fine and when they needed something and asked me I got it for them right away.... I just want specify that I did speak with her during the event to make sure everything was ok, She stated that everything was good and when I took the plates of tables everyone did indeed eat the food that was given to them and they drank the beer.. I was there to make sure everything was good if something was wrong I should have been informed then so I can rectify the problem immediately. I am very sorry that she was unhappy about her event!!  I hope to solve this matter in a fair way! Thank you!!! [redacted]General ManagerPark East Hotel

We understand the concerns that [redacted] has but going back and forth will not solve anything, I have been doing this for over 10 years and never had this problem. I am very sorry that she felt the way she does about her event.. , Since it took a lot of money and effort to do this function and the guest did eat the food but she is still not pleased, I would be willing to give another credit of $500.00  in which a total of $1000.00 would be credit which included the credit of $500.00 I already gave which we The Park East Hotel feels is fair and we are trying to meet you half way for your issues...  Thank you!!! [redacted]Park East Hotel

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted] One week prior to the event my husband & I went down to the hotel to discuss the food. [redacted] met us in the lobby. My husband asked if we could go somewhere to discuss the food and [redacted] said it would be ok to meet right there in the lobby.  We seemed to think that that was pretty unprofessional to discuss our event in an area where people were coming and going.  We would have liked to have meet in a less public area. We NEVER tried the food before the party. My husband asked if we could sample some of the food and nothing ever came of it. What we had to go by for our menu selections was a written description of the items. No pictures just a brief description.  As mentioned previously several of the items were not as the description implied (Bread Bowl with Spinach & Artichoke dip, Whole Smoked Salmon Tray, Iced Shrimp platter, BBQ Meatballs, Cucumber Tea Sandwiches) Hot appetizers were not HOT, they were barely warm. Presentation of the food was lacking. It seemed that some of the food was just thrown onto a platter and put out. It was if someone purchased bags of appetizers from a wholesale club & heated them up. I guess for the price of the food I expected it to be a lot better quality. [redacted] was indeed available throughout the event. She was very attentive in clearing plates from the tables. From what I saw she was working hard.  I do recall her asking me how things were and at that time I said fine (not GREAT!) Because I was not happy about the
food and bar not being ready for guests at 7:00 as requested. When my
husband asked if the food was ready he was told YES but in reality it
wasn't all ready to go. Yes, guests ate the food. They came hungry expecting to have Hors d'oeuvres. I am sure they did not complain about the food to [redacted] as they were being kind to me and did not want me to feel bad. However after the event several people did mention that they thought the food was not very good. Several guests offered to write letters about the food if needed to back me up. One guest said she put her napkin over the food because it just wasn't very good and she did not want to eat it!! I was EMBARRASSED by the quality of food served to my guests.As for me I hardly ate anything. I had one small plate and I too thought it not very appetizing. I was busy visiting with my guests. That is why I chose to have my event at a place where I could let someone else worry about the details. I wanted to enjoy a nice time with friends and family. Some of the details I was unaware of until talking with guests after the event. As for the bar. Why if several of the guests requested wine (which I would have thought to be a staple at any bar) would not the bartender have asked you to get some brought up. Or have some pitchers for the beer brought up. I would have thought that there would have been some communication between you two. Those are the kinds of details that should have been caught on your end and not left for me to handle.I first emailed [redacted] with my concerns the day after the event 6/7/2015 and after not hearing back from her I sent a second email on 6/10/2015. I finally received a reply back from her on 6/11/2015. She stated that she had been in meetings and that it was the first time she was back in the office to check her emails. I replied to that email from her with more of my concerns. I never received a reply to that email or more importantly I did nor receive a PHONE CALL. I would have thought that someone in the customer service industry would have deemed a phone call the better option to communicate with an unhappy client. Just by the off chance I checked my Credit Card statement and noticed a $500 credit on it from the hotel. There was never any notification to me that she had refunded the money. I would have thought that she would have discussed with me (preferably over the phone or in person) what I thought was a reasonable refund.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and will accept their offer just so I can put this matter behind me. 
Regards,
 
[redacted]

Review: On August 21, 2014, we entered into a contract with the Park East Hotel to rent their Grand Ballroom for October 24-25, 2014. The price for the event was to be $250 for the room rental and associated food and beverage costs. The venue was contacted on October 21st to confirm the room set up needs. At that time, Wounded Wings was informed that there was an additional $250 to pay as part of the final bill. This writer reminded the manager of the agreement and contract which stated $250 was the rental fee for the entire event. At that time, the manager advised that Wounded Wings would need to pay $1,500 for the use of the ballroom.

Wounded Wings Association is a non-profit organization operating in the state of Wisconsin. A faith based organization providing support and educational services to women and girls, fundraising is an essential part of our survival. Wounded Wings was renting the ballroom at the Park East Hotel to engage in community service in their Empowerment Through Education Conference as well as several fundraising activities that were to take place over the course of the weekend. As such, the Park East Hotel’s refusal to honor its contract will cause loss of revenue that would have been gained through the fundraisers in addition to the money lost in preparation for the events.Desired Settlement: We would like to hotel to honor the contract and make the space available for our charitable needs. If this is not done, we would like a refund or our $250 payment, $100 for the photographer, $150 for print materials, $350 for food and beverage costs, $200 for the dj and $75 for additional marketing costs. A grand total of $1,125 which their breech in contract will cost us.

Business

Response:

The room cost was $250.00 for part of the ballroom in which I did state that we will have the entire Ballroom open for your meeting of only 30 people, I had no idea about a fundraiser. We were still honoring giving her the Ballroom for the $250.00 and everything in the contract. In the contract It stated that all food and beverage orders needed to be in 2 weeks before and no outside food was allowed. 3 days before the event she said she had her own caterer which we stated that it was not allowed and that we can not get the food in such short notice that is why in the contract it states 2 weeks before so I said that we can not provide the food and she can no have a outside cater but we can still do the event and maybe they can go outside for food, she decided to cancel the event we did not pull out. We gave her a credit of the $250.00 that she paid for. Mr. [redacted] explained to me a luncheon and a meeting for 30 people with no talking about having a fundraiser. We still would of done the event but just not food. Everything in the contract we were still going to do... Sincerely, [redacted]General ManagerPark East Hotel

Review: Lime/adhesive deposits leaking from the parking garage during the rain that caused excessive damage. 4 cars were damaged from our group, not sure about the other cars parked on the 1st floor the weekend of 4/12/14. Detailing did not remove the lime deposits on the hood of my car, next option is a light sanding according to the body shop. Hotel told our group there was a sign on the door (we have pictures) about the leaking. There was a rope (it was on the ground, also with pictures) and no one else was parked under the garage (again we have pictures.) As the custodian was helping wipe the stains off my car with vinegar he stated this happens all the time. After reading past reviews unfortunately after our stay it's apparent it's cheaper for them to deal with the damaged cars than fix the parking garage (reviews on expedia)Desired Settlement: It's wishful thinking that the hotel will pay for all our detailing and sanding but very minimum reverse the charges as they were all on the same reservations.

Business

Response:

Regarding the complaint about our parking structure. Our Lower level parking area is under construction since February 2014. We have had it roped off with numerous signs at the front desk and in the parking lot regarding no parking in this area.... The area is even roped off. We have had guest take the rope down but we put it back up immediataly. This is the main reason why we have signs and also let the front desk know that they must inform guest not to park on the lower level. We do not have a parking attendant outside so it is parking at your own risk and also there are signs on the registration cards and in parking lot that we are not responsible for loss or damage to your vehicle while parked in our lot. 3 Persons that was working at the front desk that evening also warned the guest not to parking under the garage that is why its roped off. I have spoke to the guest and explained this to him as well, We can not be responsible if you decide to park in the roped area, there are also signs in the parking structure that its under repair. I am very sorry for the incovience and we are working on getting the lower level back.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at [redacted]

Sincerely,

General Manager

Park East Hotel

Consumer

Response:

Review: Poor Food & Service provided for a 25th Anniversary Party held on June 6th, 2015.

It was an appetizer party.

* Fruit platter was very good. Cheese & Sausage tray was good. Taco Salad was ok.

All other appetizers were totally not acceptable

* Egg Rolls, Meatballs, Spanikopta, Stuffed Mushrooms that were supposed to be hot were barely room temperature.

* Egg Rolls. In addition to being cold. There was just a small bowl of sauce to go with them. Not nearly enough for the number of egg rolls.

* Meatballs were described as BBQ Meatballs were not served in a sauce but with sauce on the side. They were not only cold but dry.

* Cheese & Sausage tray was served with saltine crackers. Not exactly a cracker I would have expected to go with a good appetizer. In addition to being a poor cracker choice, they were just dumped on a silver serving tray. Not even arranged in a nice manner.

* The veggie trays I ordered were not made instead I received a hot vegetable mix. Not sure how this went with my appetizer theme. The vegetables were served with a tablespoon instead of a serving spoon.

* "Iced" shrimp platter was served with VERY small shrimp. This was not acceptable for the price. Not even sure if they were on ice. They were not even displayed in an appetizing manner. Just a single layer on a silver metal tray.

* Smoked Salmon Platter. I was expecting to have smoked salmon nicely displayed on a platter served with some good crackers. What I received some sort of fish warm. Not even sure if it was salmon. It was served in a warmer in several very large pieces. Guests said that it was not very palatable.

* Bread Bowl with Spinach & Artichoke Dip. This was listed under cold appetizers. I received a dip that was warm and there was no bread bowl to be seen. Also not sure if the half of Pita bread pieces went with this dip. If they did they were not even near it.

* Herb Stuffed Mushrooms. Should have been a warm appetizer. They were VERY small and served cold. Seemed like something hey bought in a frozen food section, thawed out & served.

* Cucumber Tea Sandwiches. Very Large. Two slices of white bread with crusts cut off with some kind of sauce and cucumbers in between. They looked very unappetizing.

* Bar was supposed to be up & running when guests arrived at 7pm. Guests were arriving and could not get a drink. Bar probably was up and running by 7:45.

* We paid for 2 quarter barrels of beer for our guests. I don't know if the bartender was not informed of this because he charged at least one of my guests for a beer that was supposed to be free. Also guests would have liked to take a pitcher of beer back to their table to avoid having to get up repeatedly for a refill. The bartender did not have any pitchers or did he make an effort to find a few.

* There was no wine at the bar. Guests who wanted wine had to go down the the main bar. No effort was made to bring up a couple bottles from the main bar so our guests would not have to run. I would have thought that wine would be a staple in any bar.

* The hotel provided complimentary soda to our guests. Several guests stated that the soda was flat and had no fizz.

* Bathrooms near the banquet hall were not open. I had to find someone to open them shortly before guests arrived.

I was EXTREMELY embarrassed by the quality of food and service that was provide to my guests and I. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have received the type of service I did. It was certainly I memorable experience but for all the wrong reasons!!Desired Settlement: I emailed the hotel manager the day after the party to express my disappointment in the food & service. It took several days for her to respond to the email. She stated that I would receive some sort of refund but never discussed an amount. I sent her a second email but received no response from it. I did however check my credit card statement I saw a $500 credit from them on it. NEVER did I get a phone call from her to discuss my issues. I would have thought that would have been good customer service!

$3855.77 for the food I received is a joke! A $500 refund is not enough for the poor food & service received. I can not get my day back but I can get my money back. Most of the food probably went uneaten because it was not very palatable. I really don't think that I should pay more than $750 for the food & beer I received. Also I would pay for the room rental of $500. It was TOTALLY unacceptable!!

Business

Response:

All menu items that she ordered was served on the buffet with sauces and we always made sure that they never ran out and even tried the food before the party and thought everything was good…. I spoke with Mrs. [redacted] numerous times during the event and asked if everything was ok and if they needed anything else, she said everything was great!! If I would have known she was not happy with something during the event I could have rectify the issue then.. Before the event in the planning she ordered the food and I answered any questions she may have… If she wanted to know specific on how everything was prepared I could of explained to her in more details. The Bartender did charge one of their guest for the free beer and I took care of that immediately. Before the event she did not mention needed pitchers of beer at the tables, we usually do not do this unless requested so of course we did not have the pitchers on hand at the time.. I could have brought wine up to the bar if there was none but once again I was not informed of this while I was there for the entire event.. She also only paid for half the Ballroom I gave her the full Ballroom as a courtesy from us to her.. I worked really hard to make sure they had water all the time and talked with Terri and her guest to make sure everything was ok and I was told that everything was good so it was very surprising when I received this complaint… Mrs. [redacted] did e-mail me on a Sunday after the event in which I was not in the office and got back to her as soon as I got back in the office… I did give her a refund for $500.00 which I thought was fair… I was worked hard and was there the entire event to make sure everything was good and everything seemed to be going great during the event.. Everyone ate the food and drank the beer and when I asked the guest they all seemed fine and when they needed something and asked me I got it for them right away.... I just want specify that I did speak with her during the event to make sure everything was ok, She stated that everything was good and when I took the plates of tables everyone did indeed eat the food that was given to them and they drank the beer.. I was there to make sure everything was good if something was wrong I should have been informed then so I can rectify the problem immediately. I am very sorry that she was unhappy about her event!! I hope to solve this matter in a fair way! Thank you!!! [redacted]General ManagerPark East Hotel

Consumer

Response:

We travel with a daughter who has a life threatening peanut allergy and we have to read the ingredient list of every food item she eats. At this hotel, my wife asked to see a bag of the waffle-mix to make sure there was no possible exposure to peanuts and the breakfast attendant looked her in the eye and said "No". She then proceeded to tell my wife that she was too busy and she repeated that, no, she wouldn't help her. Her attitude was disdainful and she showed no regard to our needs. We're a biracial family and we wondered if this factored into the way we were treated. To add insult to injury, eleven minutes after the posted breakfast time ended, this same attendant came to our table and told us to hurry up and finish eating so she could clean up. My wife wrote a letter of concern to hotel management and received a canned response that never directly addressed our concerns. We've never been treated with such contempt by any other hotel employee and the management at this hotel truly doesn't seem to care.